I've been thinking about getting piercings for a long time. Unfortunately my mother was a really big ***** and wouldn't let me get anything so I decided to get something that she would never find out about - my nipple. I got the first one done about five months ago, in January. I hadn't really thought about it, but my friend Matt is an independent piercer and on the spur of the moment he convinced me to do it. The nice thing about an independent piercer has got to be the competitive prices. Matt only charged me twenty dollars, which I thought was pretty damn good. I laid down and Matt helped me relax by using aromatherapy. I think that that's a really good way to do piercings because it really soothed me and helped me relax and take a deep breath and just be calm. I was convinced that it would hurt a lot because my friends with lots of piercings told me it was the most painful one. But I've done some branding and scarification so I figured I could handle it. I was still pretty nervous though since the only other piercing I had ever had done was my ears. Anyways.. Matt counted down from 3 with me and then BOOM! I thought I might scream or cry or something but all I did was kind of gasp. I was like, "that wasn't so bad!!" It hurt again a little when he put the ring through and then it was done. After it was done the reality of what I'd done set in and I couldn't even look at it! I couldn't believe that on the spur of the moment I just got my nipple pierced!! When I put my shirt back on it hurt a lot because of the rubbing. I was scared to put my bra on, but now I know that's the best thing to do because it keeps it from rubbing and moving and it hurts less.
At A Glance Author Yuti69 Artist Matt Studio at his home Location canada About two and a half months later I decided to get my other nipple pierced. My boyfriend and I both really like my one nipple piercing, but I thought it would look better if I had the other one done. I remembered the pain not being that bad when I got the first one done so I wasn't expecting the second one to hurt much either. It did though. It hurt a lot more than I remember the first one hurting. I think this is because I was more scared the first time so I had adrenaline flowing through my veins. I honestly think that it hurts less if you think it will hurt. Maybe you don't think that will work, but I definitely think it does. (For example, I didn't think my nose piercing would really hurt, but when I got it done I almost fainted!!) I like my second piercing even better than the first one and it healed a lot better too. The first time Matt pierced it with a fourteen gauge needle and a fourteen gauge hoop. The second time he pierced it with a twelve gauge needle and a fourteen gauge hoop. In my opinion and my experience, doing the piercing with a slightly bigger needle helps it to heal A LOT faster and a lot better. Well anyways, that's my experience!!
Just a quick recap of the things that I think you should know or think about before you get your piercing:
1. Don't get your nipple pierced on the spur of the moment or just for the Hell of it. Even though I did it, I just think it's a better idea if you really think about why you want it and what's motivating you to get it.
2. Pick a good piercer, someone with a really good reputation and that you can trust. Normally, I wouldn't go with an independent piercer because it's hard to tell if they've actually got experience or if they know what they're doing. Even if you're going with someone from a studio, make sure you do some research and YOU know what THEY should be doing to you.
3. Convince yourself that it will hurt. Not so much that you won't want to get it done. But thinking that it will be painless will just give you a nasty surprise. If you think it will hurt then you'll have some adrenaline and it will hurt a lot less.
4. Use aromatherapy and a countdown with your breathing. I suggest Jasmine and chamomile and 1-breath out 2-breathe in 3-breathe out. I'm a big believer in both and they made my experience a lot more relaxed.
5. Pierce with a gauge that's one size bigger than your hoop or barbell will be because it heals A LOT better. (ie./ 12g needle for a 14g hoop)